After class the other day I was thinking about the connection between the Borges library story and One hundred Years. I think that like Borges Marquez attempts to rely ideas about language. In the beginning of the book there is only one language. All the founders of Moncado speak it and there is not outside influence on their language. As the town grows the reader is introduced to and experiences several addiational languages and combinations of original languages. The Indians that come to care for the Buendia family bring their native Indian language that the children grow up speaking before the original language of their family. Melquaides prophecies are translated into another unique language toward the end of the book as almost a final culmination. Before that Jose speak latin after he looses his mind and is tied to the tree. I think that Marquez explores the importance of language and how it grows and gives meaning and life to his characters. It seems as more langauges develp throughout the story, the characters become more dynamic. The langauge aspect also may have some connecion to the memory of the characters. The insomnia plague steals the memories of the towns people. They seem to be upset about the loss of the their memory at this point, however as the story continues it seems as though some characters are negatively affected by having any memory at all. Rebeca becomes a recluse after the death of Jose Arcadio. She reverts back to the state she was in when she first came to Moncado. When she arrives she does not speak and either seems to have forgotten her past or represses it. When Rebeca becomes isolated from the world she seems to want to force herself back into that original state. I think that this holds true for people in general. After experiencing something painful ,like in Rebeca's case loosing parents and a husband, it almost seems better to not have the good memeories of the time one had with those people. If you dont remember the good you cant experince the pain of loosing that. By concealing herself from the world Rebeca remains isolated from happiness maybe as to not form any more memories or bonds that could perhaps be lost. Rebeca's experince reverts back to the langauge thing again too. She arrives with no words and attempts to end with as few words as possible. the gypsies introduce the idea of the "forbidden fruit" into the "garden" of Moncado. They bring knowlege that leads to destruction and loss. I think that Marquez attempts to tell the reader to be careful about craving knowlege. Although it is a positive thing to possess becoming all encompassed in it poses serious threats. Aureliano experinces the same downfall. He begins as a smart and peaceful boy and ends as a violent and merciless war hero. Because he spends time with Remedios's father and learns about the poltics of the world around him he gains knowlege that ultimately leads to his downfall and unhappiness. Aureliano seems to want nothing more that to die eventually and it seems a bit ironic that he cant end up killing himself. He lives and that probably furthers his interanl suffering. It is interesting how Marquez continues to feed more and more life into so many complex characters.

10/24 post on One Hundred Years

One Hundred Years of Solitude is very very different from any other books I have read. The incredible family history and events that carry through the years remain an interesting approach to writing. I think that the character development is also fairly deep, with many other novels the characters are usually flat and the plot is more dynamic. The book deals with some very strange and touchy subject matter. The incest seen throughout the readings can seem very disturbing to American readers, however I am not sure if it is disturbing to non western readers. I think in America incest is viewed as discusting and the people who partake in it are usually seen as slow and from the rural town in the south. I think that even if people who are related not through blood have sex or children they are seen as outcasts. I think in other cultures non blood related relatives often marry or have sex. Other cultures are much more open to things than westerners are. This book reminds me of the constatnt war state in Africa. I recently watched the movie "Blood Diamond" which immediately reminded me of this book. The movie points out the incrible divide between western culture and, in this case, African culture. The immense blood shed taken place everyday is the staple of these people's lives. They live in constant fear that rebels will overtake their villages and slaughter their families. In the west we do not have to live like this and I believe that many westerns go about their daily lives without ever thinking about the atrocities faced by fellow human beings. The war mentioned throughout the pages of OYOS reminds me of the wars in Africa because it almost seems as though people continue these age old battles just to continue them without stopping to think why they are really fighting. The Liberals described in Marquez's novel are also similar to the rebels in Africa. Armed with kitchen knives, wearing ratty clothes and fighting in an unorganized manner hold true for the African rebels as much as the South American Liberals. I think that Marquez seems to comment on war through his literature. It seems to me that although he may be politically astuted he may not be pro war. The writer of Blood Diamond creates a realistic portryal of the horrors takng place in Africa because of the daimond mining. I think both writers paint a picture of war at it's most brutal and show the auidance the horrors that war brings about. It is important to stand up for what you believe and to defend your morals, however killing is never the best way to go about doing that. To switch gears a little, I find the women in the story to be very intersting comments on society. I am not sure at what Marquez really wants to get across about feminism yet, but it is obvious that these strong women play an important, vital role in this community. I would also like to bring up the strange concept of some of the women giving their children to Amaranta to raise. Pilar does this a few times and Im not quite sure why.

Emily Wolf
Non western lit
Blog
I think that everyone exhibits all three stages of reading development in some way at some time. I think to become an advanced reader you must take a little from each stage. Everyone questions whether or not they enjoy the text or despise it. I think that is a common starting point for most people when beginning a book. I think what matters is how the person reacts and in what way towards the middle of the book. I have found that when reading a book that remains extremely boring or does not interest me in the least I oftentimes examine it purely on the first level. I hate it. It is boring. The main character reminds me of a jerk I knew in high school. I have definitely had this experience with many books from previous semesters. I found many of the short stories that are required reading for beginning English classes uninteresting readings. “A&P”, a story about a teenager who quits his job at an A&P grocery store , comes to mind as a reading I would like or dislike and relate to my own life experiences. I feel that this course differs so much from other English classes I have taken it is almost incomparable. Symbol hunting and analyzing short stories forced me to linger at a level 1 reading level. However, in this class, I believe I have furthered my level of reading development into a concrete stage two and moving toward a stage three.
Non western literature is a completely different experience than any other English class I have enrolled in. Opening my horizons to unique cultures and authors has pushed my reading level beyond the initial one. Before taking this course I had lapsed in any outside reading. The love for reading I once had was replaced by chapter summaries and predictable pros. Authors like Roy and Murakami have restored my faith in enjoyable reading. I feel it is because I am enjoying what I am reading that I have progressed to level two and teeter on the edge of level three. I find myself enveloped in the ongoing stories these non western authors have weaved. I am interested in connecting the stories and characters to politics and history, that remains almost impossible with stories like “A&P”. After looking over my blog entries I am now aware of the levels of reading and can easily identify passages which exemplify my succession into level two. For example,” I enjoy the suggestion of a special mental bond between the twins. I think that over the years it has been proven that many twins do have a unique sense of each other that other siblings lack. This makes me think of the horrible twin experiments implicated during Hitler's regime in Nazi Germany. Many Jewish twins were kept in the camps and forced to assist the Germans in their horrific experiments. Torturing one twin and watching the others reaction for example.” In this passage from my latest blog entry I relate the connection between the twins, Estha and Rahel, to the infamous twin experiments performed during Hitler’s reign in Nazi Germany. I recognize that I form a connection between Roy’s writing and a politically turbulent point in history. I think because I enjoy “The God of Small Things” so much it remains easier to form real world connections to the text. I have found that while reading the three stories I research related topics. While exploring the “Wild Sheep Chase” I spent about an hour perusing the internet for any proof that Asian folklore about sheep entering people exists anywhere. Murakami obviously dreamed up this implausible idea, but I decided it may have been somewhat based on fact. My mind is now heightened when I read, constantly thinking about real world connections, whereas a semester ago I read to finish the story not to explore it.
I think that the specified reading levels can also apply to movies. After watching “Indiana Jones” I immediately thought of the connection between orientalism and the WWII induced Japanese camps. “I also thought about the Japanese internment camps of WWII. Because the Americans were so worried about Japanese power and so afraid of what could happen, they developed an irrational fear and hatred for all Japanese.” I think that this movie as well as the books, have taught me a lot about cultures I thought I knew. Although I feel that I have made progress in my reading levels, room for improvement remains. I feel that I need to learn to apply the concept of reading to form connections to the outside world with all texts, not just those that interest me. It remains inarguable that an interesting book is easier to form connection to or to create ideas about. If the material jives with what a person enjoys, it will undoubtedly cause their reading level to increase. I admit that, although I have made progress, I do still tend to begin my thoughts and blog entries with an “I” statement. For example:” I really like the "Wild Sheep Chase". I think Murakami definitely follows the unique detective writing style.” I need to work on developing my thoughts further than “I like it” or “ I don’t like it”. These responses exemplify stage one perfectly. I have noticed, however, that my tendency to begin my thought process with an I statement has lessened just over the past few weeks. I seem to be progressing past these initial observations and ideally diving right into the third stage.
Overall, I am pleased with the progress I have made in non western literature thus far. I feel that this course has really helped bring out my ability to examine texts at a second to third stage level. Because I am now aware of the different levels of reading my goal is to have one and a half feet into stage three by the end of the semester. I think that continuing to analyze these stories on a worldly level instead of an individual level will allow me to reach my goal. It remains helpful that I can draw information and thoughts from other classes I am taking. My 20th century history class brought the ideas of Hitler’s experiments and the Japanese camps into my head while reading. I also believe that moving past the physicalities of the texts is essential in becoming a solid level three reader. Focusing on the style of writing and not the ideas in the book only perpetuates the initial stage.

God of Small Things

The God of Small Things is another unique read, just like Wild Sheep Chase or Haroun. These books have all been very unconventional compared to what I have read for other classes, but WAY more interesting. I think Roy's style is very unique. She combines strange words to create a kind of sing song effect. I think she may have been making a political statement with her use of language. I also enjoy the format of the actual text. Passages are moved into the middle, and others italicized. Although the family tree was initally very confusing I like how the story circles around the trials and tribulations of one very dysfunctional family. The chronological order of the book reminds me of Wild Sheep Chase exactly. I also think of the movie Memento about a guy with amnesia that can only remember a day at a time, he attempts to solve a crime with no memory of what he figured out the day before. I think movies and books written with the confusing chronological order makes for a more interesting story. I also think the content of the book is very appealing. There are obvious sexual undertones throughout most of the beginning of the book. Not only the idea of incest between brother and sister but there seems to be much talk of dysfunctional relationships and forshadowing of other possbile sexual encounters(Velutha and Ammu)The tragic scene in which Estha is molested by the orangedrink, lemondrink man remains a difficult yet real scene. Roy makes the book feel very legitmate by including such a disturbing sequence of events. Molestation occurs so frequently right under the noses of unknowing family members. I feel as though that part was more difficult to read because of the fact that Estha's family was there and the situation was completely preventable. I enjoy the suggestion of a special mental bond between the twins. I think that over the years it has been proven that many twins do have a unique sense of each other that other siblings lack. This makes me think of the horrible twin experiments implicated during Hitler's regime in Nazi germany. Many Jewish twins were kept in the camps and forced to assist the Germans in their horrific experiements. Torturing one twin and watching the others reaction for example. I feel like there is definately a connection between twins,close or not. The book seems to almost become a bit of a detective novel. Not so much the characters themselves, but the mysteries behind the deaths of the mother, Sophie Mol and pappachi. I think there are also mysteries about other characters that Roy forshadows discretly throughout the beginning. The caste system is a very intricate dynamic of the story. The Indian socioeconomic system is very interesting. THe idea of reincarnation at a different social level and the idea of the "untouchables" is very intriguing. I think that Valutha is defiantely a better person than many of the other characters despite his low social standing. the system is almost like that of a class system in many prisons. Child molestors and rapists are often the lowest members of prison society whereas gang leaders make up the top of the social ladder. I think that caste systems can be applied all over even now a days, just not to the same extent. Many people do not consider the idea of a social caste anymore, but there is obivously unspoken caste systems all over. Overall I am excited about continuing this book and very interested to figure out all of the hidden meaning and mystery inside.